

250 



The Weekly Rorists' Review. 



Decbmbeb 22, 1904. 



This is entirely erroneous, as most ferns 

 like abundance of light and our fern 

 ranges are better from the beginning of 

 November to the early part of March 

 without any shade. 



There are various methods of propagat- 

 ing ferns. Some are propagated from 

 tubes on the roots, some from bulbils 

 formed on the rhizomes and some are 

 propagated from spores, which is certain- 

 ly the most interesting form of propa- 

 gation. 



Growing From Spores. 



The spores vary in the different species. 

 Some we find arranged along the edge of 

 the frond; in other species they are 

 spread all over the surface ; in others they 

 form large patches on certain parts of 

 the frond. Some of the clusters are cov- 

 ered with what we would call a very thin 

 membrane, which gradually lifts as the 

 spores ripen, and oftentimes shrivels or 

 falls off. In some species the spores are 

 not covered at all, being a pale green in 

 their infancy and as they advance to ma- 

 turity, some become brown, some black, 

 others green, according to the species. 

 When the covering shows signs of begin- 

 ning to lift, it is an indication the spore 

 is almost ripe. The fronds containing 

 the spore can then be gathered, wrapped 

 in paper and dried by hanging them up 

 in any warm place where there is no dan- 

 ger of water reaching them. In the course 

 of a few days, when they are sufficiently 

 dry, they are rubbed through a very fine 



wire sieve, which removes the frond and 

 a portion of the chaflf from the spore. 

 They are then ready for sowing. 



After experimenting in various ways 

 with the sowing of spores I find the most 

 satisfactory results are obtained by using 

 5inch or 6-inch pots. They should be 

 filled to within one inch of the top with 

 drainage, consisting of small crocks, cin- 

 ders or charcoal. The pot is now ready to 

 receive the soil, which must be loam 

 screened fine, with no manure, and thor- 

 oughly sterilized, either by baking over a 

 fire until all forms of vegetable and in- 

 sect life have been destroyed, or by the 

 use of steam, passing through and thor- 

 oughly sterilizing the soil. After filling 

 the pots with the compost be careful to 

 make the surface perfectly level. The 

 pots should now be thoroughly watered 

 and allowed to stand an hour or so be- 

 fore sowing them. They are now ready 

 to receive the spores. Care must be used 

 when sowing to select a place free from 

 draughts, as the spores are so fine that 

 the least breeze will scatter them in every 

 direction. 



After sowing, place your pots in a 

 shady place in the greenhouse and' cover 

 with glass. This glass covering should be 

 kept on continually to prevent other 

 spores getting in and to keep a humid at- 

 mosphere about the spores. This assists 

 germination, as a dry atmosphere is det- 

 rimental to their growth. We then place 

 the pots in saucers containing water, 

 which rises and keeps the compost moist. 



Carnation Victory. 



If any of the pots are found to be drying 

 out they must by no means be watered 

 overhead, but placed in a pail of water, 

 £0 that it soaks up and saturates the 

 whole compost, aq top watering will dis- 

 turb the spores and in all instances wash 

 them out of their places. It is an old 

 axiom in human life that cleanliness is 

 next to godliness, and in plant life it is 

 equally true, especially among seedling 

 ferns, for they quickly rebel under un- 

 clean ,, conditions. 



The warm or exotic ferns germinate 

 best in a temperature of say about 65 

 degrees. The cooler or hardy ferns will 

 germinate in a much lower temperature. 

 The first sign of growth appears in a 

 faint coloring of green on the soil, which 

 will rapidly cover the whole surface. At 

 the first indication of the spores making 

 tiny fronds they should be separated in 

 small patches and planted in other pots 

 or flats containing fern compost. Over- 

 head watering may now be indulged in, 

 but use a very fine rose on your watering 

 pot; also keep under glass for a time 

 longer and give more light. They will 

 soon need dividing again and presently, 

 when large enough to handle, they may 

 be placed in 2-inch or 214-inch pots. 



There is mystery attached to raising 

 ferns from spores and it is no uncommon 

 occurrence for a totally different kind to 

 appear than the one which has been sown. 

 Also, we find when the utmost care has 

 been taken in collecting and saving the 

 spores, several kinds may appear in the 

 same pots. It is reasonable to suppose 

 the spores in the fern house are being 

 constantly wafted by currents of air, and 

 readily attach themselves to fronds of 

 other species. They are then collected 

 and after sowing, of course, mixed plants 

 will result. 



As I have previously stated, there is an 

 increasing demand for ferns in this coun- 

 try, especially in varieties suitable for 

 jardiniere work. In fact the demand is 

 far in excess of the supply, although I 

 may say millions of ferns are raised an- 

 nually throughout the country. Also, we 

 find our old favorite, Nephrolepis Boston- 

 iensis still in great demand, with the new 

 and beautiful variety, Piersoni elegantis- 

 sima, or ornamental Boston fern, and 

 Nephrolepis Scottii, a wonderfully dense 

 and compact growing variety, making an 

 excellent house plant, and a beautiful 

 center-piece for a table, when grown in 

 the shallow pan pots. In my humble opin- 

 ion this excellent fern has a great future 

 before it. 



Best Ferns for Jardinieres. 



I shall now enumerate a few varieties 

 of ferns suitable for filling jardinieres, 

 of which pterises form the leading fea- 

 ture ; in fact, the pteris family is for such 

 work indispensable. P, adiantoides is a 

 deep green and glossy fern and the vari- 

 ety argyrea, a showy green and white va- 

 riety, a native of the East Indies. P. 

 cretica and its varieties, albo-lineata and 

 magnified, together with the showy vari- 

 ety major, are excellent commercial sorts. 

 P. serrulata and its varieties, cristata, 

 cristata compacta and densa, are all na- 

 tives of the tropics. P. tremula is a New 

 Zealand fern, a quick grower and makes a 

 nice pot plant, together with the crested 

 variety, Smithiana. 



Aspidium tsussimense ia commonly 

 known in this city as tensemense. It is 

 a general favorite on account of its good 

 keeping qualities, but is somewhat slow 

 of growth. 



